


Name

by MyrddinDerwydd



Series: Misc Mass Effect Prompt Fills [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Drunkenness, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23207359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyrddinDerwydd/pseuds/MyrddinDerwydd
Summary: Vetra and Ryder are out a bar chatting about random things.
Relationships: Vetra Nyx & Female Ryder | Sara, Vetra Nyx & Ryder
Series: Misc Mass Effect Prompt Fills [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668511
Kudos: 11





	Name

**N7 Month 2019 Day 14: Name**

“It’s nice to get away from so many people, V.” Vakara Ryder pushed vaguely at her brilliant lavender hair, which was glowing faintly in the black lights scattered around the bar. 

Vetra and Ryder lounged comfortably at a table in the Vortex, two hours into drinking the night away. It was downright impossible to convince Vetra to relax on the ship - she claimed she was ‘always on duty when we’re out here in the black’ - but the two had made it a habit to meet here and decompress. 

Vetra pulled another slow drink from a tall, narrow bottle, clearly savoring her _Bracci_ wine. Her eyes idly tracked a light dancing across the wall behind Ryder. “Vakara, you can’t call me ‘V,’ you’re a ‘V’ too. It’ll just nest everyone all up in a knot - it’s confusing.”

“Pfft,” Ryder huffed. “You, Jaal, and Drack are the only ones who use my name. I have ‘Pathfinder Ryder’ tattooed on my face to everyone else.” 

“Not my fault you’re the boss, ‘Kara.” 

“Hmmph.” Ryder tilted back her glass of sapphire whiskey, letting her eyes fall closed as the fire burned sweetly down her throat. 

“Hey, what does it mean, anyway?” Vetra asked. “Your name?” 

“Why the stars do you want to know that?” Ryder’s hair fell back into her face, glowing, as she sat up. “It’s stupid anyway.”

“Yeah...” Vetra paused, subvocals rumbling comfort and reassurance at her friend. “I thought you might not like it. That it was why you don’t use it much, even with the crew. Mine just means ‘happy place.’ It’s really generic.”

Ryder guffawed, letting her head fall back onto the back of the booth’s seat. “No, that’s far better than mine! See, my mom - I love her, but she could be stupid serious about religion sometimes. Hinduism. So Vakara means something epic like ‘honor and prestige for the family’ blah, blah, in Punjabi.”

“That sounds very turian of your mother, actually.” Vetra tilted her bottle up again, licking her long tongue discreetly into the neck for the last few drops.

Ryder held up an imperious finger at Vetra, which wavered back and forth. “Nah-uh. My dad’s hispanic. From this little place called Costa Rica, and a ton of soldiers in his unit knew spanish, and you know what my name means in spanish??”

Vetra flicked her mandibles idly in amusement. “Hmm, ‘Really talkative person?’ ”

“No.” Ryder didn’t miss a beat, waving her hand at Vetra, head still draped over the booth. “It means ‘cow’. ‘S a big, clunky, spotted, mooing, food animal, and I’ve never even seen a real one.” 

Vetra’s subvocals flared in sympathy as she chuffed a short, turian laugh. “So all of your friends called you this ‘cow’ beast, I take it?” 

“La vaca niña, the ‘cow girl.’ Uggh.” Ryder sat up just enough to sip her whiskey, licking her lips to spread out the flavoring, which stained her lips.

Vetra tilted her head, giving a thoughtful hum as she stretched her long legs under the table. “You know Vakarian is a turian name too, right?” 

“Yeah, but it’s not like my parents were naming me after a turian six years after the Relay 314 incident.” 

“Well, Vakarian or Vakara would mean…hmm… well, ‘priceless,’ in Palaven Standard.” Vetra shrugged, a human gesture she’d adopted long ago. “Literally it’s ‘empty price.’ But that’s what it means.” 

“At least I have another good meaning for my name, I suppose. The Nexus wasn’t sure if I was priceless or worthless when the Hyperion showed up with me as Pathfinder, that’s the truth.” Ryder turned up a half smile at the tall turian, and polished off her drink. “Thanks for that, ‘V.’ ”


End file.
